n better days." Kelso fought down a wave of pain and

clutched at Steve's arm. 'Listen. I appreciate you sticking by me.

Thanks for fixing me up with a ride home."

'You're not there yet, amigo."

'All bar the shouting. I owe you one - okay?"

'If you get that message through, we're even. But if you feel like

doing me a favour, just make sure Jodi comes out of this in one

piece.

She's putting her neck on the line to save yours. Remember that."

'I will..."

'Good. Here's the bottom line. Apart from Mother, if anyone wants to

know, you two are the only survivors.

You didn't see anything. It's Jodi who's got the full story. Got

that?"

'Yeah..."

Jodi came over to give Kelso his nightly jab of pain-killer then

stroked his forehead. 'Okay, get some sleep, champ. We want you in

good shape for the big event."

'When's, uhh ... tomorrow...?" Kelso's eyes started to close.

'Soon,' said Steve. It would have to be. There were only two more

shots of morphine left in the locker.

For the return journey to the campsite, the Kojak elders provided

Cadillac and Clearwater with an escort of two hands instead of the

original five. Although this appeared to devalue their worth it was,

in fact, intended as a compliment. Having listened to Cadillac's

extravagant claims, the elders had come to the conclusion that even if

only half of it were true the 'Chosen Ones' would be more than capable

of protecting themselves and their escort.

The decision was not unanimous, but taking their lead from

Carnegie-Hall, the dissenters did not declare themselves. Having

netted this prize catch, the wordsmith was reluctant to jeopardize

their safety but questions of etiquette were involved. To have

provided their honoured guests with the same, or an even larger escort

would have implied that Cadillac's testimony regarding their status and

Clearwater's powers had not been taken seriously.

Time-honoured tradition required wordsmiths to speak openly to one

another. They might not declare all they knew but everything they

declared had to be true.

For one member of this select band to imply by word or deed that a

brother-in-spirit had used his gifts to weave a tissue of lies would

have been a serious affront with unpredictable consequences.

The elders had another more practical reason for reducing the size of

the escort; the warriors were needed elsewhere. The appearance of the

iron snake had disturbed the winter slumbers of the Mute clans whose

turf lay close to the Mississippi. Had they been capable of submerging

their individual interests they might have put up a concerted and

vigorous defence but the day when the Plainfolk clans exchanged their

implacable hostility towards one another for a sense of nationhood was

still a long way off.

Instead of standing their ground, they had begun to withdraw in a

northeasterly direction. That very morning, a posse of Kojak braves

had encountered an advance party of C'Natti Mutes from an unidentified

clan who were in the process of planting marker poles on land already

claimed by the M'Waukee.

The C'Natti - the fawning jackals to the wolf-packs of the D'Troit had

been driven off without a fight but they threatened to return in

greater numbers and this had given the Kojak elders cause for

concern.

With some nine hundred braves of both sexes, the Kojak did not fear an

attack by a rival clan but they could not withstand simultaneous

invasions of their turf by several adversaries - as was bound to happen

if the iron snake continued its advance.

A damaging conflict could only be avoided if the threat from this

fearsome beast was eliminated. Since Cadillac M'Call had claimed its

arrival on the scene was directly linked to the appearance of the

Chosen Ones, it was only reasonable to expect these gifted individuals

to use their combined powers to remove it. Carnegie was given the task

of explaining to Cadillac before he left that defeat of the iron-snake

was no longer regarded as an optional, goodwill gesture: it was now

essential to prevent the clan being overwhelmed by the pressure from

its displaced neighbours.